At a press event at the New York Public Library, Sony announced that its …

At a press event hosted by the New York Public Library, Sony put their recently announced Reader hardware on display and provided an overview of its recent announcements. But the event was more than simply a recap of past announcements. The library location provided context for a program, run through Sony's e-book store, which will allow users to identify their local public library borrow books through its site. There is also new hardware: by the holidays, Sony plans on having a 3G-enabled Reader with a tall seven-inch screen.

The upcoming hardware is called the Reader Daily Edition, which implies partnerships with news outlets. However, aside from the price and 3G capabilities, almost nothing was mentioned about the device. The Sony executive that ran his company's portion of the program (Steve Haber, president of its Digital Reading Business Division) did little more than wave the hardware in front of the audience; it wasn't even clear if it could actually be turned on. Still, it's clear that Sony is gearing up for a long-term battle with not only the Kindle, but the upcoming device (devices?) from Plastic Logic.

For now, however, Sony is attempting to leverage content as its competitive edge. The company had already announced that it was adopting the EPUB format, which is an XML-based standard for storing text that can be reflowed for different screen formats. As a result of that decision, the Sony library management software would be able to handle books from other resellers; Sony announced that over 200 members of the American Bookseller's Association would be selling compatible books that use Adobe's DRM service.

Sony is already offering access to public domain works from Google Books as well, and we talked briefly with Trip Adler from Scribd, who said his company's self-published works could easily be put on the reader via either PDF or EPUB. So it's clear that Sony is taking the opposite approach from Amazon, focusing on selling hardware that can display content from just about anywhere.

That "anywhere" will apparently include libraries. According to Sony's Haber, the new version of its online book store will allow users to enter their ZIP code and determine whether the local library offers electronic versions of its books. These books can be downloaded, at which point they'll have a 21-day expiration date—no late fees, as Haber was happy to point out. The New York Public Library's representative announced that his organization would be taking part in the service. That's a rather significant announcement, given that he said that the NYPL's website was the second-most visited online library, behind only the Library of Congress.

The new library software will have both Mac and PC versions, opening up the software to a wider audience. It's supposed to be available immediately, but neither of the software updates—the updated e-book store with library finder or the 3.0 version of the desktop library management software—were available as we prepared this story.

Functional hardware

Sony was showing off the Reader hardware (Pocket and Touch) editions that will be going on sale before the summer is over, and we had a chance to test some of it out. The Pocket Edition is way too large to fit in a typical pocket, but it is the smallest hardware we've seen yet. It's not touchscreen, but it does have nicely laid out controls that provide easier access to menu and list items than Amazon's offering. In some ways, the hardware controls are superior to the touchscreen—there's no ambiguity about a button press, so if the display is unresponsive (a common event with eInk screens), you know that it's probably just a matter of waiting.

That wasn't clear when using some features on the Touch Edition. Some people using the Touch were attempting to add notes to it, and it was difficult to interpret their failures, as it wasn't clear whether the touches weren't registering, they were performing the wrong action, or the hardware was just being unresponsive. Sony's also changed the software slightly from its previous touchscreen version, which bewildered some experienced users.

Nevertheless, for the most part, the software was well laid out, and it was easy to navigate on screen. The keyboard was arranged in a standard, offset-QWERTY format, which I found far easier to use than Amazon's vertical arrangement. The screen registered keystrokes with a small click when depressed, providing tactile feedback; the largest problem seemed to be that the touches sometimes registered at a slightly different position than the keys appeared on screen, a consequence of the depth difference between the touch and display hardware.

Notes can be exported back to the desktop software with an image of the text they were associated with, so even if the underlying library book expires, the effort isn't lost; maybe Sony didn't want to be targeted with a class action lawsuit, such as the one that Amazon was hit with.

Sony also announced that it would have the Readers on display at 8500 retail locations, giving potential users a chance to try before buying.

In contrast to a lot of areas, where the company seems to be flailing, it's obvious that Sony has a clear strategy here: offer a variety of hardware with different features and price points, and give its owners the option of obtaining material from a wide variety of sources, including their own documents. Making that a profitable strategy is going to be challenging, however, as the Readers will be competing with Amazon's Kindle, new arrivals on the market, and (perhaps most significantly) smartphones and netbooks that can easily handle reading material.

Looks like it's ready to go. It's based on Adobe Digital Editions, not the Sony Reader/eBook library. There seem to be a lot of libraries that support this function already. It's not clear if they're really announcing something that has been available for quite a while. The one change is that when you launch the Sony eBook library, there's a link to take you to a library finder page. That might be the only truly new thing.

It's another instance of competition being really good for the consumer. If the library thing takes off for Sony, I'd imagine Amazon will add that functionality to the kindle just to keep people from jumping ship.

The fact that all this stuff happens with DRM is kind of a bummer, but I guess the concept of "lending" DRM-free editions of something wouldn't fly with any of the stakeholders :-)

Electronic lending libraries are nothing new - mobi books have had time-sensitive DRM for years and years (and quite a few public libraries use it.) On connected devices, you can even return books early - otherwise (eg on my cybook) you check it out for a time period from hours to weeks (usually max 2 weeks) and at the end of that time it magically checks itself back in.

I'm sold. I've been monitoring the e-book reader market for a while now. Sony's earlier hardware was nice but too expensive for what you get. The first Kindle was too clunky for me, though I have yet to try the new ones (can’t find anyone who owns one). Add points for news sources—though I’m a big fan of amazon.com—subtract points for limited book sources and Orwellian (literally) DRM features, and it just came out about even.

This library function, however, is pretty damn cool. Yes, yes, it contains DRM, but this is material offered for free. And, since you’re supporting a local library without actually having to smell the musty pages of a classic book (sorry—never was appealing), I think it works out quite nicely for several parties.

Borrowing a book will be interesting, more so if it can be done completely online (no need to travel to the local library and hook up to pull a book). It wouldn't make sense from a device standpoint to limit the download of library books from only local places but I am surprised a publisher would allow it to happen at all as I assumed they would be more of the stance of "All rights reserved".

That said it will be an interesting future to see where books can take us. I will likely wait as I don't purchase a large amount of books that I would read in this medium and I don't believe this device would be ideal for technical books at this point (Usually I'm in front of the computer when reading a programming book anyway).

The whole idea of an electronic lending library is clueless. Despite the fact that there are no easy or clear answers, you can't just pretend like information can't be freely copied and trudge on with your hands over your ears yelling "la la la".

I would think that by this point publishers should be catching onto the fact that despite rampant piracy and nobody using DRM anymore, the music industry is doing just fine with online sales. It will be so tedious if we have to go through the whole dance again with each set of content publishers.

Originally posted by Xavin:The whole idea of an electronic lending library is clueless. Despite the fact that there are no easy or clear answers, you can't just pretend like information can't be freely copied and trudge on with your hands over your ears yelling "la la la".

I would think that by this point publishers should be catching onto the fact that despite rampant piracy and nobody using DRM anymore, the music industry is doing just fine with online sales. It will be so tedious if we have to go through the whole dance again with each set of content publishers.

Well, for those of us who prefer more legitimate routes--not to mention the support of libraries (tax payer dollars go to libraries that actually check books out)--this option is very appealing.

Originally posted by Xavin:The whole idea of an electronic lending library is clueless. Despite the fact that there are no easy or clear answers, you can't just pretend like information can't be freely copied and trudge on with your hands over your ears yelling "la la la".

I would think that by this point publishers should be catching onto the fact that despite rampant piracy and nobody using DRM anymore, the music industry is doing just fine with online sales. It will be so tedious if we have to go through the whole dance again with each set of content publishers.

Well, for those of us who prefer more legitimate routes--not to mention the support of libraries (tax payer dollars go to libraries that actually check books out)--this option is very appealing.

I don't really disagree, but explain how using a library is supporting it when you have to pay taxes to support it whether you use it or not. Are they collecting user ID "visits" that somehow supplement the perception of an empty building they still have to heat and cool?

Originally posted by Fentras:...I don't really disagree, but explain how using a library is supporting it when you have to pay taxes to support it whether you use it or not. ...

When there is a budget crunch and the governor (or comptroller or whoever) goes to the library and says "well we are cutting your funding by 95%, have a nice day" the folks who run the library look at their records and say "I know times are tough, but X voters checked out books last year, and will be very disappointed with the new shorter hours and fewer new books on the shelves...and in a time of economic crisis libraries provide affordable entertainment to these voters!"

Small values of X get the reply "indeed these are valuable services, but we just can't afford them". Large values of X get the reply "well, there is a little flexibility in the budget, I'll see if we can trim some more fat elsewhere".

So merely using a library in a way that gets "counted" will help them. So does writing letters, but who writes anymore? :-)

Electronic lending generally works a lot like Netflix, but for books. You maintain a list of books you want, and you can check them out as they become available. When the time period expires, in some cases you can check it out again (to extend your loan by a few more days to finish something, for example). When you're finished, you return it, and it becomes available for someone else to check out. If you do nothing, it automatically turns it in for you, which keeps the loan slots rotating around to interested borrowers.

Similarly, a local library would have a number of total slots to be shared among all borrowers of all e-books from that particular library. The local library would pay for a number of slots appropriate for its local readership... a few for small libraries, a bunch for a big one. This would be why the sony e-reader asks for your zip code... you don't want to be using up all the e-edition slots in some small town 2,000 miles away if your neighborhood branch has already paid for plenty.

As for lending versus selling ... the arguments there are no different than for print. There's no reason an interested reader couldn't buy a copy they wouldn't have to return, if they wanted to have it around all the time. Meanwhile, an avid leisure reader stands to benefit tremendously by being able to churn through books that would cost a fortune for them to buy individually themselves. With the lending arrangement, the costs are more manageable for the consumers, and the revenue is arguably more stable and of a better profit margin than sales alone, especially if a large catalog and avid readership keeps libraries paying for lots of loan slots.

Frankly, I think it's quite possible the book industry will have learned quite a bit from the music fiasco, if only by actually making use of the unique qualities of their product to the advantage of the industry and its consumers.

I'm missing something here: since giving you a copy of a book, even if it is DRM-protected and time-limited, invokes copyright law (whereas loaning a copy does not), in the absence of compulsory licensing, how will such a system legally operate? Surely libraries are not about to negotiate independently with every author/publisher on file. What's going to make the publishers agree to this?

Originally posted by jagerman:Surely libraries are not about to negotiate independently with every author/publisher on file. What's going to make the publishers agree to this?

The publishers *are* the rights managers. They handle signing the deals with the authors. Then they turn around and provide a service whereby the libraries subscribe to an e-book catalog under a relatively simple rate structure.

Don't worry, your library won't have to hire a bunch of contract attorneys. They'll simply subscribe to a product offered by the publishers, who will agree to do this simply because there's money to be made.

When they stop trying to screw us over and allow me, when I purchase an e-book, to share my license, (in the same manner as described with the library) with my family members, I will be happy. Otherwise its a screw job. Its a removal of rights that we have over physical printed media. Outside of that level playing field, they are only building up another RIAA like fiasco.

Originally posted by deet:They'll simply subscribe to a product offered by the publishers, who will agree to do this simply because there's money to be made.

There's also a good deal of money to be lost, particular now, in the infancy of digital readers when you still have a highly captive audience for digital books. It seems slightly unlikely to me that publishers are, en masse, going to be willing to agree to a rental fee sufficiently low for libraries to agree to. The matter is different when it comes to loaning books: publishers are powerless to prevent such activity--but don't you think they would if given the chance?

Ideally, the real parallel I'd like to see here is being able to buy, loan, and transfer digital books. Your library could then buy the digital version, whether from Amazon or wherever, transfer it to you for a limited time, then transfer it to someone else, etc. In other words, a system that works like a real library. Obviously publishers don't want this--they want a fee per loan, and probably a fairly high upfront cost, because it lets them cash in on an area where they have been deprived profits. It's great that libraries can begin to offer digital works; it's crummy that because the works are now digital instead of printed that publishers get to dictate the terms of that offering.

Originally posted by deet:They'll simply subscribe to a product offered by the publishers, who will agree to do this simply because there's money to be made.

There's no reason why the vast majority of public libraries (especially with budget cuts) would feel a need to offer e-books. For publishers to make money, there needs to be a demand- maybe with libraries there's a chance at some publicity and goodwill, but I don't see any money to be made.Reminds me back when I was a teenager, a friend of mine systematically borrowed every vinyl folk, blue and rock(not very many) record our local library had, and copied them onto cassette tapes. Even back then, I was amazed that he could get away with this. I guess you could do this today with a USB turntable-- but I don't think it happens very often. Library E-books? I'm skeptical.

If they are able to make the digital library thing work well, this has me interested. There are plenty of books out there that I'd love to read but I don't have the time to head over to the library to go find them. Nor do I have the money to buy all the books on my list for reading later. Being able to have the library with me anywhere... well, that's a great way to get me reading more.

Originally posted by cuvtixo:Reminds me back when I was a teenager, a friend of mine systematically borrowed every vinyl folk, blue and rock(not very many) record our local library had, and copied them onto cassette tapes. Even back then, I was amazed that he could get away with this. I guess you could do this today with a USB turntable-- but I don't think it happens very often. Library E-books? I'm skeptical.

Um, or you could just check out the CDs the library offers and rip them to MP3 (no more legal I guess than recording the albums was back then). I don't know if my library has vinyl any more; kinda doubt it. They do have the aforementioned CDs, audio books on CD and whatever those dedicated players are called, DVDs, and downloadable audio books in MP3 and/or WMA formats. And have had for some time. Oh, and some sort of downloadable or streaming movie checkout service. I'm not aware of e-books yet, but I don't know of any reason it wouldn't work. They don't seem to have had any problems, legal or otherwise, with all of the other options they offer.

Sorry, I didn't connect my thoughts on the earlier post. It's not the legality, but the medium itself that presents the problem. The presence of CDs and DVDs, streaming movies and MP3s, is because so many people already have CD players, DVD players computers and MP3 devices. That is not the case for E-books. Sure, distribution of e-book content is no problem- in fact aren't you surprised such a feature doesn't exist for PCs already? Amazon with Kindle and developers like Sony are trying to keep complete control via proprietary hardware. It makes the electronic devices too expensive and unwieldy for mass adoption (and use in libraries, for example) The question needed to be asked isn't if it's possible, it's what has kept it from happening already!

Originally posted by Fentras:I don't really disagree, but explain how using a library is supporting it when you have to pay taxes to support it whether you use it or not. Are they collecting user ID "visits" that somehow supplement the perception of an empty building they still have to heat and cool?

Yes, they do. When the local council looks at its budget and decides how much it'll be allocating for libraries, they certainly do look at usage data. Branches that don't get many visitors are closed down and those with heavy traffic get funds for expansion.

Pretty obvious, really.

But back on topic... These new Sony devices are really looking good. As always, the critical element is how well they handle PDFs formatted for A4. I've read suggestions that they should do fairly well, on the Touch at least. I really hope Ars makes a point of covering PDF functionality in the review when they finally come out.

BTW, here in the UK, publishers do get paid each time a book is lent out by a library (search for Public Lending Right). The payments are based on data collected from a rotating subset of all the local authorities.

Originally posted by cuvtixo:There's no reason why the vast majority of public libraries (especially with budget cuts) would feel a need to offer e-books.

I was in my local branch of the Dallas Public Library today, checking out a book that I'd ordered online from the central branch and had sent over. I imagine the DPL's central branch has to send out or collect hundreds of books every day. The expense of that is not just the cost of gas for sending trucks out, that's many full-time hours for staff and volunteers that could be invested elsewhere. And the DPL branches are all facing very significant cuts very soon, with substantial decrease in open hours, etc.

Not to mention, my local branch gets a lot of walk-in traffic, but almost every person actually spending much time in there is an adult there camping an internet terminal and socializing. Everyone else just orders online or uses a kiosk to find a book in the local stacks and gets out as fast as possible. They remodeled a few years ago and expanded the library physically, but reduced the actual number of books they have locally, and have dropped almost all periodicals. So now there's even less reason to actually spend much time there.

If there was a Netflix-streaming type deal for borrowing books, I'd go to it immediately, even if I had to pay a small monthly fee, and even if it didn't interact with the local system at all. Seriously. My library system has moved to a more hub-and-spoke or nodal system, which I'm sure is much more efficient than duplicating many stacks of books at each location... but what if they could get rid of some of those nodes entirely?

I have been borrowing ebooks from my library for a few years. I have gone through three different Palm devices dedicated to ebook reading. I would love a larger screen and the ability to touch the screen easily with my finger. The Palm screen is small and my fingers are fat. Also, my eyes are old and larger text would be nice.I was interested in the Kindle but the price was a bit much. I assume some of the cost is the lifetime wireless connection. The new Sony devices interest me more because they are cheaper without the wireless.

The idea is too "yuppyish" to be adopted by most public libraries. Remember that public libraries exist to serve everyone, and they are of most use to poorer individuals. Poorer individuals are not likely to purchase ebook readers of their own. Also, the libraries aren't going to purchase and then lend out thousands of expensive ebook readers. So, unfortunately, it seems that this ebook library concept will be stillborn.

Digital library? This has been the piece I've been wanting to see before I jump into the ebook realm. Let's see how well it's implemented and if they can do it reasonably well, for a reasonable price (free is definitely good), I'm in.